


Boo On You

by SerenaJones



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Clowns, Creepy, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Halloween Costumes, Tendershipping, Thief King Bakura is Called Akefia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:14:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaJones/pseuds/SerenaJones
Summary: Written for the Darker Oneshots, Halloween Challenge 2020. Ryou and Bakura attend a children's Halloween party that reveals one big kink and one big fear. Tendershipping with a knife.
Relationships: Tendershipping - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5
Collections: Darker Oneshots 2020





	Boo On You

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: For those non-YGO people who are reading this because of the 2020 Halloween Challenge, this is a post-canon-DM tale. All you really need to know is that Pharaoh aka Atemu, Marik, and Bakura Akefia were originally from Ancient Egypt. At one point in their history, they were dark spirits who existed in a Shadow Realm. In canon, they all remain spirits. They got their own bodies via common fanon trope. 

Standing outside the apartment door, Bakura heard what sounded like a moan.

"It's so big," Yugi said from inside.

"You like them big," Ryou replied. "Besides, love, bigger is better."

What. The. Hell. Bakura listened at the door, knowing they could not possibly be talking about what he thought they were talking about.

"It won't fit," Yugi countered.

"Bend over. It'll fit." There was some movement and then a moment of silence.

Ryou gasped. "My word, that's tight!" he said.

"I changed my mind," Yugi sounded panicked. "I don't want it!"

"Well, it's too late now. I've already applied the glue," Ryou responded.

Bakura's mental record scratched as he tried to fit 'glue' into the perverted image of his sweet, innocent Ryou forcibly knocking the bottom out of the King of Dweebs.

He huffed and filed the image for later. When he had time, lotion, and tissues available.

He entered the apartment and froze.

There were two creatures in the kitchen, but they sure as fuck weren't Ryou and Yugi.

The larger one had an oval-shaped body with a pair of stump short legs and feet like swollen yellow paws. It was covered in an erratic hodgepodge of colored dots and stripes. Its face was humanesque with no skin pigment whatsoever, bleeding blue splotches for eyes, and a shiny red circle instead of a nose. Fat lips the colour of dried blood stretched up to where it's cheeks should be. On its head was a tangle of red straw that might approximate hair; it was the color of fresh blood just released from a vein.

The smaller one was seated and leaning forward while the larger one seemed to be ripping it's purple straw/hair from its head. It was a mostly green and blue blob-ish mass of dots and stripes.

With normal human feet.

A tremor ran through Bakura's body. He had been trapped for an eternity in the Shadow Realm. He had seen all manner of evil, all kinds of dark souls. He himself was darker than many.

But this - these things before him chilled his soul. They were the face of death. Not the God of the Dead or the protector of souls, but the actual act of dying given form.

They were horrifying. Monstrous.

"Oh, hello, love!" the larger one said, glancing at him. "I didn't hear you come in. Hold still, Yugi-chan, I've just about got it."

Horrifying, monstrous, and it spoke with his lover's voice.

Bakura heard himself whimper. " _Submit me to the wrath of Thoth,_ " he whispered in his native Old Egyptian. " _Ma'at, judge me._ "

"Ryou-chan, I really think this wig is too big!" the Yugi-voiced death whined.

"It's an absolute riot! Akefia, what do you think?"

Bakura felt his legs give out as both deaths turned to him and smiled. From his vantage point on the floor, he took in the dried blood on Yugi-death’s lips and his several missing teeth. Ryou-death’s teeth, in contrast, were a jagged line of small, sharp points.

"Akefia?" Suddenly Ryou-death was running towards him. Bakura tried to back away, but Ryou-death caught him. "Darling, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

" _W-what the hell are you_ ," Bakura managed to stammer.

Ryou-death smiled and frowned at the same time. "Was that Egyptian?"

"What's wrong?" Yugi-death peered over Ryou-death’s shoulder, frowning and smiling. "Bakura-kun, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I haven't heard him speak Egyptian since…. Darling, English or Japanese. I can't help if I can't translate."

In his head, Bakura could hear himself - his old self, his original self - reading prayers for his slaughtered village, Kul Elna.

"Is he reciting from the Book of the Dead?" a new voice asked.

"Atemu!" Yugi-death sprang forward and leap on the once-Pharaoh who was standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Yugi," the former Pharaoh sounded jovial as Yugi-death kissed his cheek. "What's wrong with him?"

"I haven't the faintest," Ryou-death replied. He even mimicked the real Ryou's panic voice. "He took one look at us and collapsed! Darling? Are you hurt?"

" _Why do you sound like Ryou?_ " Bakura asked. " _Did you take him, too?_ "

Atemu put Yugi-death aside and leaned down to Bakura. _"Pull yourself together, man,"_ he said in their shared tongue. _"I don't want to go to this event any more than you do, but they've been planning this for months."_

The ex-Pharaoh sounded surprisingly calm. He was also dressed in one of those ridiculous caped outfits that people think vampires wear.

_"Do you see them, too? It's not just me, right? Death shadows have come."_

_"I see Yugi and Ryou dressed as clowns, and you, not in costume."_

_"A clown? Are you_ fucking _nuts? That's not a_ fucking _clown!_ Fucking _clowns are short guys with cup-and-balls! I've seen_ fucking _clowns! Back in Kul Elna. They juggle_ shit, _and do flips. Not collect_ fucking _souls._ "

 _"These are what clowns look like now._ " Atemu shrugged. " _And Yugi has been teaching himself to juggle._ "

"What is he saying, Yami-kun? Did something happen?" Ryou-death sounded worried.

"He was just surprised by your costumes."

"I should say you seem a mite more than surprised, love." He stood up and tried to pull Bakura up with him. Bakura batted the hands away. They were human hands, but that just made the whole image more distorted. "Now, now. You promised to help in the haunted house! Your costume is in the bedroom. I need to help Yugi finish."

Clowns. Clowns were funny. Silly. Not creepy and disturbing.

 _"Scared?"_ the former Pharaoh taunted.

 _"No,_ " he said, trying to hold back a shiver. It was hard to stand with his knees turning to jelly. " _Hippos eat your offerings._ I'm good." Atemu snorted, but let the old curse pass without comment.

Still, Bakura swept as wide as he could of Ryou-death and Yugi-death wrestling with a pair of oversized shoes as he refused to run for the safety of the other room.

On the bed lay a mass-produced mummy costume. "Aw, come on!" he groused. "Really?" He turned to go argue, but remembered what was out there. "Racist bullshit," he grumbled.

He undressed and put the stupid outfit on.

I wasn’t scared, he thought. Just… not expecting to see walking icons of death in Ryou's kitchen. Any rational person would have responded the same way, right? And now that he knew it was just make-up and wigs, he was fine. Ryou wasn't the type who would remind you of a moment of weakness. Asshole Pharaoh was, but fuck him.

He looked at himself in the mirror. The bandages were mostly attached to the shirt and pants, but some were loose and needed to be wrapped.

"Why the fuck isn't the great Atemu wearing some lame-ass, stereotypical shit," he muttered into the mirror.

Something red shifted behind his shoulder.

In the mirror, he watched as Ryou-death approached him with an exaggerated show of sneaking up. He held a large knife in a stabbing position as he grinned maliciously.

Bakura's body quivered, but he wasn't about to cower in front of Ryou twice.

"You couldn't sneak up on a brick wall, Babe," he snarked.

In the mirror, Ryou-death froze. He lowered the knife as he covered his mouth with his free hand in an exaggerated show of comic surprise.

"But I'll give you points," Bakura looked over his shoulder, "for…."

The room was empty.

He glanced back at the mirror and watched as Ryou-death was slowly backing out of the room and waving with a cute little finger wiggle.

The physical room remained empty.

"Akefia, love," Ryou's voice came from out-of-sight before Ryou-death's sick smile left the mirror. "Are you almost ready?"

"What the fuck?" Bakura whispered.

**X - X - X**

Kame Games and its neighboring stores pulled out all the stops to hold a full Halloween festival. There were food stalls, games and prizes, costumed characters for photos, candy for trick-or-treating, and a haunted fun house.

All of Yugi's friends were helping. Most of the group were either inside the haunted house, or handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. Honda and Otogi were helping at one of the food stalls. Mokuba had even somehow got Kaiba to set up a gaming stall that the brothers were manning. Mokuba wore a Sailor Moon costume, and Seto was decked out as Tuxedo Mask. Jou was dressed as a pirate, Ishtar had on a werewolf mask.

Malik was another fucking clown.

" _Ten thousand Gods of Hatti take you. I hope your corpse kisses sand_ ," Bakura cursed him as a greeting as they all gathered inside Kame Games.

"What the hell is your problem," Ishtar snapped.

"Ok, clowns, you're out front. You can start handing out candy now." Anzu addressed the group before they could get into an argument. The witch had a clipboard and was checking things off. "Werewolf, vampire, mummy, and you yokai, just wander around inside the fun house." She went over a few rules and a few safety tips. "Remember, some of these are little kids, so just seeing you will scare them. After 9 pm, it will be only teens, so we can save the scary stuff for them."

"Good luck, love," Ryou said behind him.

Bakura turned and nearly jumped through his skin to find Ryou-death so close.

Which would not have been anywhere near as unnerving if he couldn't see Ryou-death outside the shop's window handing out candy with Yugi and Malik. Ryou-death next to him hugged him while Ryou-death outside wiggled his fingers and strolled into the crowd.

"Fuck!"

"You're not having stage fright, are you, love?" Ryou stepped back. It was hard to read concern beneath the exaggerated face paint.

It was hard to read, but it was there. "If I was put back in the ring, what would you do?"

"I'd go with you and live in the Shadow Realm beside you."

Only Ryou would say something that stupid. It might look like death, but this one was his. He put his palm on Ryou's forehead. " _For those who would harm this offering, they will fall on the knife of Horus and have their entrails cooked in fire_."

"What does that mean?"

"It means keep your eyes open tonight."

**X - X - X**

The kids that came through the haunted house were largely in that adorable knee-high to waist-high age group. Some were in the irritating waist-to-shoulder high group. They came mostly in packs of three or four. The taller ones tried to be brave until he actually moved toward them. AfroSamurai had pulled a plastic sword to 'protect' his friends and didn't go running until Bakura was almost in its reach.

Luffy didn't have friends. He was one of the taller ones and was alone. Luffy kicked him. "You're not a real mummy," the child taunted.

" _Keep it up, kid. I'll 'real' mummy you._ " Most of the kids had run, screaming shrilly, when Bakura spoke to them in Old Egyptian. Most of the kids had actually been cute.

Luffy needed his neck snapped like a bird.

"That midget vampire was scarier than you!"

"Watch that mouth kid," Bakura snarled in Japanese. "Or someone is gonna watch it for you one day."

"You can't talk to me like that!" The child's face scrunched up in anger. "MOM!" He went running out.

"Whatever."

A few minutes later, Ishtar rounded the corner. "Kura! Mutou-ojii keeps getting complaints. What are you doing back here?"

Bakura started to say something inappropriate and stopped, remembering that Ishtar was like himself. " _You see any Shadows today?_ "

Ishtar sighed heavily. "Why? Did you free any?"

"Fuck you, asshole! _It's this clown shit, not me! I think it woke something._ " Bakura hesitated then huffed. " _I saw one of those_ fucking _death clowns in the mirror, but the room was empty._ "

" _Oh come on -_ " Ishtar switched to the old language as well.

" _Come here, damn you_." Bakura grabbed the man's arm and pulled him through the event until they found Atemu. " _Hey! Oh Exalted One. Come here a minute_." He pulled Ishtar out through the fun house back door, figuring Atemu would follow. He hated to tell them, but he knew these two were the only ones who would take the threat seriously the first time. " _Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but there is something wrong with these clown things._ "

" _They're just costumes_." Ishtar shivered. " _Creepy, but just_ latex _and paint._ "

" _No. Look, before we left the apartment, Ryou tried to sneak up on me with a knife."_

" _Ryou never left the kitchen_ ," Atemu pointed out.

"No shit. _And he wouldn't know what to do with a knife_." Bakura took a breath. " _I saw him in the mirror, but when I turned around, the room was empty. Plus, it happened again after we got to Kame Games_."

" _So what did you do_?"

"Fuck you! _I'm telling you -_ "

" _On our way here, I saw Ryou sitting on the park bench,_ " Atemu interrupted. " _I assumed I'd seen someone remarkably similar because Ryou himself was walking with you. I didn't think it worth mentioning._ "

" _It could have been any-_ " Ishtar stopped mid-word and stared at something behind the other two. He pointed.

Bakura and Atemu turned. Behind them, at the other end of the alley, the festival continued. Ryou-death clown was juggling knives.

" _Did Ryou practice with -_ " the ex-Pharaoh began.

" _No,_ " Bakura answered. " _Boy drops everything._ "

" _That is not right,_ " Ishtar agreed as Ryou-death caught all three blades.

A small audience applauded. The clown bowed to the watchers, then turned and looked at the three Egyptians. He slipped one knife in each sleeve, then tipped his head back and swallowed the third. He wiggled his fingers and walked away.

" _I'm just guessing Ryou can't do that,_ " Ishtar commented.

" _You believe me now?_ "

" _We need to follow that thing,_ " Atemu said, nodding. " _If it's a Shadow, it's -_ "

"There you are!" Anzu's voice cut through the conversation. "I told you, no more than three people on break at a time. Miho had to go home for a minute, so one of you has to come back now."

The guys looked at each other. 

"Look, Mazaki," Bakura began, "nobody's gonna notice if -"

"Thank you for volunteering!" She scowled and grabbed his arm. "If you didn't want to do this, you shouldn't have offered in the first place," she said as she dragged him back in.

Before the door closed, he caught Atemu and Marik smirking as they headed off. "Assholes," he grumbled. " _Hippos eat their mothers._ "

**X - X - X**

Bakura took a cig break sometime later. He inhaled deeply, wishing he had something stronger than nicotine. He hadn't seen Atemu or Ishtar in an hour. He hadn't seen any fucking clowns, either. He was trying to convince himself that he didn't care if those two thoughts were related.

Instead, he exhaled slowly and leaned against the wall of the fun house. Think about kids. Think about dinner later. Think about Ryou banging Yugi. Don't think about….

"There you are!" Ryou's voice was soft and amused. "I thought you were going to quit, darling. You know I hate the smell of tobacco."

"Yeah, well - aaaahhhh!"

Bakura turned towards his lover's voice only to find Ryou-death Clown impossibly close to him.

"Boo," the distorted face said.

" _Amun, Ra and Ptah!_ " Bakura swore, jumping back and hitting the wall.

Ryou-death Clown actually giggled. "I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'd fancy a shag."

"Now?"

"You always complain that I'm too repressed." Ryou-death pushed against him as closely as the latex padding would allow. It felt unnatural. "I should think you'd jump at the chance to jump me."

A slimy, disquieting sensation slithered down Bakura's nervous system. He'd never turned down a fuck in his life. In any of his lives. But sex with this? He shivered. "What -" his voice cracked and he fought to act cool. "What about the kids?"

"Aren't they a tad young for you?" Ryou-death quipped. He nuzzled Bakura's neck.

The thief whimpered. As much as he tried to remember this was the man he loved, the dried blood mouth and distorted body just disturbed him to the core.

"Yeah - heh - yeah. Funny." He snagged his bandages trying to slide down the wall, but managed to move away. He took a drag off his cig hoping it would help calm him. "So, yeah. Kids. Grandpa. We should just chill. We can bang later."

"Oh, but darling you look so cute!"

Creepy or not, that caught him off guard. "Cute?"

Ryou-death nibbled his gloved finger thoughtfully. "How shall I put this? You know how sometimes you embarrass me because you like the way I react?"

You turn the same shade of pink as when we fuck, he thought. It's sexy as all hell and then some. "Yeah?"

"Well, I don't know why, but tonight I like the way you react."

"You do?"

"I do." Ryou-death took a step forward and Bakura took two steps back. "Sweating like a beast in heat. That manly chest breathless, heaving. Your eyes, watching me." He took two steps forward, pinning Bakura against the dumpster. "Those sexy quivering sounds you make each time I get close. It's all got me quite randy."

A gloved hand lightly brushed up his thigh, causing Bakura to shudder. The hand moved over and down to cup his manhood. "Sure you don't want to shag me rotten? You feel ready to have a go." Ryou-death squeezed, and Bakura silently cursed his Pavlovian response.

"Uh...yeah...uh…."

"Ryou-chan?" Mutou's voice called out from nearby. "Bakura-kun?"

"Bollocks," Ryou-death Clown swore softly. "Coming, Yugi-chan," he called out. "Well, we should get back to it at any rate. I'm quite sure Jou-kun and Kaiba-san must be run ragged by those kids by now."

Ryou-death moved back towards the festival. Bakura tried to stop shaking and follow him. He hoped his raging boner died down before any parents bitched about him being a perv. 

To be fair, usually he was. Banging Ryou through the floor in a public place was a daily suggestion for Bakura - one Ryou always denied. Of all the fucked up things! Sweet, innocent, doormat Ryou gets turned on by causing fear? That's a fetish he’d have never guessed. Not one they could indulge often, either, since Bakura wasn't afraid of anything.

Not anything normal, at least.

He took a last pull off his cigarette and tapped it out on his shoe. As he tossed the butt aside, he heard something move behind him.

Ryou-death Clown smiled at him from the other end of the alley. He wore Luffy's hat. It was much too small for him. Across his body were large, dark splotches that looked wet in the festival lamp light. The one on the hat looked redish. Death Clown reached down and picked up a bulky canvas bag. It was large. As Bakura watched him put the strap over his shoulder, he guessed it was long enough to put a 10-year-old in it, if you folded him in half.

With a tip of his hat, the disturbing clown left the alley heading away from the festival, leaving Bakura alone.

**X - X - X**

"No, I haven't," Grandpa Mutou said thoughtfully. "Earlier this evening, Atemu and Ishtar Marik borrowed one of my Egyptian texts and I haven't seen either of them since."

"Huh." Bakura nodded. "And they didn't mention why they wanted it?"

"No." The elderly gent chuckled. "Jounouchi-kun was with them. I suspect they wanted to play a prank on Kaiba-san, but don't quote me on it."

"Huh. Yeah, sounds about right." Bakura grinned. "I must have missed them. Darn. Well, I guess I'll just go back to the fun house."

"I can't thank you boys enough for helping out. I know it's a lot of work, but the kids seem to have so much fun every year."

"No sweat, Gramps," he cut the man off. Given how much he bitched about being involved, Bakura figured any gratitude he received belonged to Ryou. "Catch you later!"

He left the shop and wandered into the thick of the festival, thinking. 

A Shadow got loose, Bakura thought. Had to be. Nothing else made sense. Probably Sid, one of the guys he himself had trapped in the void. He had a couple working brain cells, the man reasoned to himself. He must have found a way out and now he's Yami Sid, bent on getting revenge. Cue evil laughter.

Yami Sid in a clown suit like Ryou's to get revenge against Bakura for banishing his dumb ass to the Shadow Realm. The kid in the Luffy costume must have shot off his mouth, and Yami Sid whacked him.

"I told that kid to watch his mouth," he grumbled.

**X - X - X**

Bakura waited until the kids were leaning over him and had convinced themselves he was a mannequin.

" _You should go to Egypt and see a real mummy,_ " he said in ancient Egyptian. " _They're amazing._ "

Suddenly, the four pre-teens were screaming in terror and running for their lives. Bakura chuckled. He hated to admit it, but this haunted house thing was kinda fun.

So long as he didn't think about clowns, shadows, or ….

"BOO!"

" _AMUN, RA AND PTAH!_ " Bakura swore as inflated white hands suddenly wrapped around his chest from behind.

"Did I scare you, love?" Ryou's voice was actually sultry and warm in his ear.

"No!" Bakura lied.

"Your heart's pounding," Ryou whispered. "Throbbing. Still don't wanna fuck?"

Hot and cold ran through Bakura. He could count on one hand the number of times his sweet, innocent lover dropped the f-bomb. And while that voice normally could definitely push Bakura's heart rate up, the foam gloves and the padding pressed against his back felt so, so wrong.

"Next batch of kids will be here in a sec."

"Everyone has gone to watch the fireworks, so we're closed for a bit." Ryou's tongue teased Bakura's ear. "We're all alone." Ryou nuzzled him. "You smell good. Like blood."

"Like what the fuck?" Bakura tried to pull away, but Ryou's grip was unexpectedly tight.

Ryou isn't this strong, he thought. He couldn't see who was behind him. Was it Ryou? Was it the death spirit wearing Ryou's face?

"Cute, babe. Let me go." Bakura struggled to get away, to no avail. "Ryou, let go!"

"Feel that blood racing!" Ryou purred. "My goodness, you're so hot you're sweating. I really should shag you."

"Me!? Fuck! _Ptah take you!_ " Bakura tore at the arms holding him but they didn't budge in the slightest. " _What did you do with Ryou!?_ " Ryou never wanted to top - not even the one time Bakura offered.

Ryou replied in Old Egyptian. " _Nothing…_ " Teeth began nibbling his ear. It might have been sexy if it wasn't a hell beast doing it. _"...yet._ "

" _What are you? Are you Sid?_ "

"Your voice is dead buff when you speak that way darling," Ryou whispered. "I can't understand a word of it, but my word, it's peng!"

"Psychic doormat," Bakura griped. "Even without the damned ring. Keep fighting the shadow, babe, we'll get it!"

"What shadow?" Ryou giggled. "Darling, we don't have much time. Are you up for it? I certainly am." Something long and firm began rubbing against his ass. With all the padding, Bakura didn't know how Ryou was dry humping him.

"Have I ever told you how wicked fit your bum is?"

"What are you doing?" Bakura found himself panting for no good reason.

"Promise me when we get home you'll shag me rotten."

"I'll fuck Ryou, not some clown."

"Have you ever tried blood play?"

"Have I ever what!?" Bakura fought the arms and this time was able to pull away. He turned around to find Ryou-death trying to look thoughtful and innocent again. "The real Ryou doesn't even know what that is!'

"I didn't," he agreed, "but the lads and I were chatting about some of the spicier activities and that sounded just smashing."

"It's messy and salty," Bakura tried to decide if he was turned on or terrified. "You'll hate it."

"He said it's like a rich wine, flowing down," he stepped in close and drew a gloved finger from Bakura's jugular and over his chest, "begging to be devoured. He said we'd need a safe word. Something not sexy. I was thinking maybe 'oatmeal'? Oh. Oh my."

"What?" He swallowed hard and clinched his teeth as Ryou-death moved even closer.

"The vein in your neck. Pulsing." The latex clown suit pinned him against the wall again. This time Bakura felt sharp teeth bite into his neck. A tongue flickered along his jugular. "It's quite peng."

There was a distant kid scream.

"Oh boo," Ryou pouted. "That was quick. We'll have to continue later tonight. At home. Promise?"

"Sure, babe. Sure."

**X - X - X**

It was around 11pm when one of the neighborhood merchants came to tell Bakura they were done for the night. Atemu, Ishtar, and Jou hadn't reappeared, but then neither had any clowns. Bakura lit a cigarette as he headed for the exit.

He wondered what he should tell Yugi, Malik, and Kaiba.

"Akira!" He heard a woman calling out. "Excuse me," she stopped someone else. "Have you seen my son? He was dressed as Luffy from One Piece? No? Thank you." She moved away, still looking, "Akira?"

He wondered what he should tell her, too.

**X - X - X**

"When they do get back," Yugi huffed, "tell them we're at my place. I can't believe they just left halfway through. They didn't even come back to clean up!"

"Yeah, well." Yugi had taken off the wig, and with his normal hair, the clown bullshit was surreal. "This might have been legit."

"Why?" Yugi's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. "Where did they go?"

Bakura held up his hands defensively. "Don't look at me! I got stuck in the fun house all night because of those assholes. Look, someone saw something weird, and they went to check it out. It was probably nothing, but it gave them an excuse to bail on this and go get a beer. I mean, that's what I'd have done."

Yugi looked thoughtful. "I don't think Atemu had his phone with him, so if something happened, he wouldn't be able to call. I hope everything is ok."

"I'm sure they're fine."

"Maybe I should look for them." That 'thoughtful' look was moving toward 'determined'.

"Hey, listen, Yugi, do me a favor," Bakura turned the man toward Kame Games. "See if you can get Ryou out of that clown suit, ok? It's not his hottest look, you know?"

Yugi studied him. "You know, Ryou would understand if you just told him you had a fear of clowns. It's actually rather common. It's usually in children, but -"

"I am not afraid," Bakura growled. He took a breath and a step back. "Just next year maybe go with something with, y'know, easy access."

"Ok." Yugi nodded. "If you did have a fear, you know he would understand, right?"

"Yeah. I get it. He's an understanding guy. Just go back to your place, lock the door, and get that latex crap off of him."

"Got it," Yugi said with a grin. "We'll see you later, I guess."

"Yeah. Hey, Mutou." He waited until the man faced him again. "The stuff we fear, me, Ishtar, and the Pharaoh? You guys shouldn't understand. You should run. Ok? Just run."

**X - X - X**

Atemu, Ishtar and Jounouchi showed up when Bakura was about halfway through a pack of cigarettes. They all looked worn out. Beat up. Atemu's vampire cape was torn away. Ishtar was missing his mask. Jou had his hat, but the rest of his pirate gear was gone. Bakura didn't see any serious injuries, but a shadow game could do far more damage to your head than your body.

Atemu saw Bakura and gestured before the white-haired man could speak. "Izakaya. I need something stronger than water."

There was one few shops away. It was loud but not too crowded for them to get a table and four quick beers. The waiter left the drinks and a plate of yakitori, and closed the screen.

They all sat in silence.

"I gotta go see Kaiba," Jou said abruptly.

"Jou, it wasn't him," the former Pharaoh sounded like he'd said it before. "It was just a trick. It wasn't even human."

"I know. I know that. Still…." Jou drained his beer. "Later." He didn't run out, but he didn't waste any time either.

" _So, what happened?_ " Bakura asked again when he was gone.

Ishtar and Atemu exchanged a look. Ishtar opened the screen and ordered another round of beers.

" _Damn it! Was there a Shadow?_ "

" _Yes, sort of,_ " Ishtar admitted. " _Not a Shadow, but something like one._ "

" _And it wasn't Ryou. Right?_ "

" _Right,_ " Atemu sighed.

" _Was it Sid?_ "

" _Sid? Who the hell is Sid?_ "

" _Jackass who lost a shadow game. Doesn't matter._ " He took a swallow. " _So what the hell was it!?_ "

" _I don't know._ " Ishtar drained his glass. " _I don't want to know._ "

" _Not everything can be known,_ " Atemu observed. He shivered. " _Not everything should be._ "

**X - X - X**

Bakura made it home after several drinks and few answers.

"Akefia, darling, is that you?" Ryou's voice came from the bedroom as Bakura entered the apartment.

"Depends. Is that you?" 

Ryou's laugh was gentle. "Of course! Who else would I be? Come to bed, darling. You must be exhausted after all that."

Bakura used the bathroom, then hesitated at the bedroom door. "You naked in there?"

"Darling!" There was a moment of silence. "Well, nearly so."

Naked Ryou would probably make up for the rest of my fucked up night, Bakura thought. He opened the door.

On the bed, Ryou sat on his knees. He had on a pikachu t-shirt. Slender limbs, pale skin, white hair.

And clown make-up. Beside him was a straight razor.

"Nope!"

"But -"

"Nope! I'm out!" Bakura turned for the front door.

"Darling, I took off everything else." Ryou got up quickly and followed him.

"No clown shit."

"Oh but Akefia, you promised -"

"Nope. You need me, I'm at Ishtar's."

Ryou stopped in the living room and stamped his foot. "Are you really saying that you are afraid of a silly thing like clowns?"

Bakura opened the door. "Sue me. Call me when you've gotten this little fetish out of your system."

"Oh boo!" Ryou pouted as the door closed. "Boo on you!"

**Author's Note:**

> **Darker Oneshots, Halloween Challenge 2020**
> 
> I - and 55 of the best writers on ff dot net - took part in this event; please kindly check out their Halloween oneshots (when they come out, because we’re posting during the entirety of October 2020) and their other fics if they suit your tastes. Please heed their Warnings too, thank you! Some are horror - truly horrifying in some cases - and some are kinky. All are offered for your trick-or-treating pleasure. In alphabetical order with date, contributors are:
> 
> **Alastair (10/6), ArgentNoelle (10/29), AsgardianHobbit98 (10/29), Babyvfan (10/25), Bewdofchaos (10/28), Brenna76 (10/20), Caldera Valhallis (10/2), Count Morningstar (10/30), CrimsonRaine87 (10/21), DancesWithSeatbelts (10/23), DemonOfTheFridge (10/20), DemonShippingQueen (10/17), Desna (10/23), Drawingdownthemoon (10/24), Elleurs (10/24), Ferith12 (10/3), FreyjaBee (10/23), HisagiKirigakure (10/10), HoshisamaValmor (10/29), Iceburg-sanCPX (10/6), Jadeile (10/26), Kakashi97 (10/5), Kamil the Awesome (10/8), Karkatsbabe (10/20), Kittyface27 (10/6), KurohimeHaruko (10/24), Max333 (10/30), Nazaki-Sama (10/9), NekoPantera (10/27), Nissa Fox (10/18), PhantomGypsy13 (10/29), Phoenixreal (10/10), Potashiamu (10/4), RayeMoon (10/28), Rhearenee (10/5), Sailor Silver Ladybug (10/30), SensiblyTainted (10/20), SerenaJones585 (10/13), SereneCalamity (10/16), SesshomaruFreak (10/10), Seth’s Kiss (10/12), Shnuggletea (10/14), Sigan (10/27), Silirt (10/7), Silverstar (10/22), Spunky0ne (10/19), Starfire93 (10/29), Tartarun (10/5), The Token (10/13), TheBadIdeaBears, (10/1), TsukikoUchu (10/24), WhatIDesireEternally (10/24), Wrath of Vajra (10/15), Xache (10/25), Yatsu Narurasuke (10/24), Yemi Hikari (10/11)**
> 
> An extra special thank you and all hail to **NekoPantera** and **Seth's Kiss** who managed to herd all these cats into one posting event. They kept us organized, inspired, and motivated, and only sent shock troops to my house twice.


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